LGBT Rights Don’t Trump Religious Rights

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RALEIGH (ChurchMilitant.com) - The Republican-majority North Carolina legislature voted 82–26 Wednesday to prohibit cities and counties from passing laws that would impose pro-LGBT laws on citizens. Included is the mandate that people can only use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender at birth.

Although 12 Democrats voted for the bill, Democrat Minority Leader Dan Blue refused to participate and left the assembly with some other Democrats, asserting, "We choose not to participate in this farce."

Republicans maintain they passed the law to protect women and children from sex offenders who might pretend to be transgender in order to find victims. But another representative added, "It's common sense. Biological men should not be in women's showers, locker rooms and bathrooms."

Last month the city of Charlotte passed broad pro-LGBT laws, allowing people to use whatever public restroom they feel coincides with their gender identity. In response, the state legislature called Wednesday's emergency session.

There's been massive political backlash, however, for states that have enacted similar laws protecting religious liberties against LGBT interests.

Georgia's legislature recently passed a religious liberties law allowing religious leaders to abstain from performing same-sex weddings and allowing organizations to deny use of their facilities to groups they find morally objectionable. The bill is on Gov. Nathan Deal's desk waiting to be signed. But LGBT lobbyists and large corporations are threatening to take their business elsewhere if he does.

Disney owns the lucrative comic book movie franchise Marvel Studios and has recently shot some of their movies in the state, while AMC Networks owns the wildly popular show "The Walking Dead." Both companies are threatening to stop filming in Georgia if the bill is signed into law.

The National Football League is jumping into the fray as well, saying the bill is endangering the chances of Atlanta being able to host the Super Bowl, as well as both Atlanta sports teams, the Falcons and the Braves, voicing complaints against it.

Large corporations are also calling to repeal Georgia's law, including Delta Air Lines, Google, Home Depot, IBM, Marriott, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Coca-Cola, Dow Chemical, UPS and Verizon.

Tennessee and South Dakota recently introduced bills mandating that students could only use restrooms and locker rooms that coincide with their biological gender. South Dakota's governor vetoed the bill. Tennessee's lawmakers failed to pass their state's legislation in the state legislature.

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